Cherry quantity down, but quality up

FROM STAFF REPORTS

July 27, 2008 12:00 am

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TRAVERSE CITY -- The summer cherry harvest in northern Michigan is in full swing.

Cherry growers and processors in the region were at near-peak operation in recent days, as some farms are completing their sweet cherry harvest while also launching the larger tart cherry harvest.

Several growers have said the crop is at least a week or more behind its normal ripening schedule, and the tart cherry harvest for some will likely extend into the second weekend in August.

"We're right in the heart of if it right now," said Al Steimel, general manager of Leelanau Fruit Co. along M-22 south of Suttons Bay. "We've got growers harvesting (both tarts and sweets) right now."

The sweet cherry harvest for Michigan is projected at around 25,000 tons statewide, down 8 percent from last year, although Steimel said some farms are seeing higher yields than projected.

The tart cherry crop is also down this year, expected to drop about 30 percent to around 135 million pounds.

"With the tart cherry crop, the yields are down quite a lot," Steimel said.

Some tough weather conditions over the year, including frost, high winds, hail and heavy rain, have hurt the fruit quality on some farms. That's created extra work for processors who have to sort the fruit.

But farms that missed the heavy weather are bringing in high-quality fruit, processors said.

"We've got some really good fruit, and some on the poorer side," Steimel said.

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